Mixing apparatus



Aug 25, 1959 G. R. RUssUM 2,901,227

MIXING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 27. 1956 J/ 45.6 lav/UW@ A ORNEY States ate 2,901,221 Patented Aug. 25, 1959 MIXING APPARATUS Gaillard R. Russum, Somerville, NJ., assigner to Johns- Manville Corporation, Newl York, NY., a corporation of New York Application November 27, 1956, Serial No. 624,658

'5 Claims. (Cl. 259-81) This invention relates to a mixing apparatus, and more particularly, to a blending or mixing device of the type employed for use in blending various materials.

Heretofore, various types of blenders or mixers comprising tumbler devices of a variety of shapes have been developed for use in blending together materials or substances of granular or powder form. Such blending devices have met with various degrees of success in electing a thorough mixing of materials in a minimum of time. A blending device of the general type with which this invention is concerned is disclosed in Patent No. 2,514,126 to John I. Fischer, issued July 4, 1950. As shown in the patent, a V-shaped container having a pair of diverging leg portions is arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis :for tumbling loose materials occupying the leg portions of the unit and thereby effecting blending of the materials.

The main purpose ofthe present invention is to provide a new and improved blending or mixing device of novel shape, whereby such materials are expeditiously and thoroughly mixed in a minimum of time.

It is further the purpose ot the present invention to provide an improved blending device of the type described, which is characterized by the provision of hollow side leg portions arranged in such a manner that all of the materials contained therein, and not merely portions of the materials will simultaneously 'be moving from opposite leg portions of the container so as to drive into and through leach other, thereby eiecting an improved blending operation with exceptional blending results.

The blending or mixing device of the present invention is further characterized by a simple and rugged casing structure which is easily and economically fabricated by standard shop methods, and which is easily lled with materials to be blended, operated, and discharged.

The blending device of the present invention is also adapted for mixing materials of either the same or dierent sizes and specific gravities, and in either dry or wet state.

In brief, a blending or mixing device constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a rotating or tumbler type container having a casing structure of novel shape formed withoppositely disposed side portions so that when rotated, it tumbles all of the material contents in a novel manner, thereby providing an expeditious and thorough mixing of the materials therein in a minimum of time.

These and other features of the present invention are further described in detail below in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts, and in which;

Fig. l is a side elevation of a blending device embodying the present invention, with parts broken away for purposes of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially along the line 2 2 in Fig. l; p

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modiiied form of the blending device of Fig. `1.

The blending or mixing device illustrated in the drawing as an embodiment of the present invention, is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, and, as shown, comprises an essentially X-shape container 12 having opposite side leg portions 14, 16, 18, and 20, of substantially cylindrical form, disposed in oppositely diverging directions, and with their longitudinal axes lying in the same plane and intersecting substantially at the center of the container 12. Though the cross-Section of the leg portions is shown as being circular in the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood that the leg portions may be lof any other preferred sectional form, such as a modified circular or polygonal form, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The casing of the container 12 may be constructed of two similar half-sections 22 of equal volume and of a generally V shape, each half section 22 being formed of a pair of the cylindrical side leg portions: 14, 16, 18 and Ztl joined together at obliquely cut-out end portions thereof, making an angle substantially less than therebetween, and preferably an acute angle, in any suitable manner, such as by welding, as indicated at 24. Each similar half-section 22 further has the tip portion of its apex truncated to form an open apex portion 26 of a generally elliptical cross-section developed into a substantially circular cross-section at the tip end thereof, as shown in Fig. 3. The two truncated V-shaped halfsections 22 may then be joined together at the tip ends of the open apex portions 26, as by welding, as indicated at 2d, with the adjacent leg portions 14 and 1S, or 16 and 2d, of the two half-sections 22 making an angle substantially less than 180 therebetween, preferably an acute angle. The container 12 is thus formed with the cylindrical side leg portions 14, 16, 18 and 20 disposed in oppositely diverging directions from the ends of a continuous center po-rtion 29 in communication therewith. The container center portion 29 is also provided with a pair of diametrically opposed inner edges 30 and 32 formed respectively at the juncture of each pair of the cylindrical leg portions 14, 16, or 18, 2l), of each halfsection 22, the plane of which edges 30 and 32 intersects the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical legs 14, 16, 18 and 241 at an acute angle, as shown in Fig. l.

The outer ends of the cylindrical leg portions 14, 16, 1t) and 2d may be closed with end plates 34 Vand 36, which may extend across each pair of the leg portions, as shown best in Fig. l, thereby providing additional rigidity to the casing of the hollow container 12. The material loading and unloading of the container 12 may be obtained through openings in the outer ends of two of the cylindrical legs, as in legs 14 and 16, adapted to be closed by suitable dusttight`cover plates 38 and 40 hinged thereto, as at i2 and 44. The cover plates 38 and 40 may also be provided with locking means, as indicated at i6 and 118, to be locked in the closed position. In this manner, the openings adapted to be closed by the cover plates 38 and itl may be employed for filling or emptying the container 12 with the materials to be blended, while the outer ends of the other two cylindrical leg portions 1S and 2li may be permanently closed by the end cross plate 36, or may be likewise provided with cover plates as legs 14 and 16.

The hollow container 12 is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis lying in the plane of and` extending transversely of the longitudinal axes ofthe cylindrical leg portions 14, 16, 18 and 20, by a pair of aligned trunnions 5d extending laterally from opposite sides ofthe casing of the container 12, to which they are secured by plates 5 2 fastened in a vertical position to the respective adjacent cylindrical leg portions, 14, 18, and 16, 20, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The trunnions 5t) are arranged to turn Vin bearings 54, which are mounted on standards 56 disposed on either side of the container 12 and supported in an erect position on a base 53. The container h1 .2 isrotated by an electric motor 60 connected to one of fthe `trunuons 5l) by a gear and chain arrangement, as indicated at 6,2. It will be understood, however, other power transmission systems can be used for rotating the @container '12, such as gear system, a direct drive, etc.

v yIn Fig. 4, there is ,shown a modified form of a blending devicelo constructed in accordance with the present invention, in which a ,container 64 is formed with only two cylinder-like side yleg portions 66 and 68 oppositely d- -verging from, or converging into, a third leg '76. 'Ille elongated leg portions 66 and 68 likewise form an open apex portion in communication with the third leg portion 7,0, iIn this arrangement, the volume of the third leg portion 70 should be at least approximately equal to the combined volumes of the leg portions 66 and 68.

,The container 64 is similarly provided, as the container 1 2, with an end plate 72 extending across the outer ends of the elongated leg portions 66 and 68. Material inlet ports in the outer ends of the leg portions 66 and 68- are adapted to be closed by cover plates 74 and 76 hinged thereto, as at 7S and t?, and adapted to be locked in closed position by locking means 82 and 84. In, addition, the hollow container 64 is provided with a ,third cover plate 86 hinged, as at 88, on the outer end of the third leg portion 70 for closing a material outlet port therein, Similar locking means, as indicated at 90, may be provided for locking the cover plate 86 in closed position. l

Rotation of the container V64 may be obtained by a similar arrangement as the container 112 of Fig. l. For example, aligned trunnions 92 may extend laterally from brackets 94 which are secured, as by welding, to the respective cylindrical leg portions 66 and 68, so that the ,container 64 may be rotated about a horizontal axis in the plane of and extending transversely of the longitudinal axes of the leg portions 66, 68 and 70. Either hollow container 12 or A64 is mounted in such a way that the axis of rotation extends through the casing of the container at approximately the center of gravity thereof 4in order to minimize eccentric loads on the mounting ,and the .driving mechanism.

It will be appreciated from the above description, that the invention provides a novel blending device l@ which is arranged to tumble and overturn, upon rotation thereof, all of the loose materials therein, alternately from the outer end portions of the cylindrical leg portions of one side of the container and, through the center portion, toward the outer end portions of the side leg portions of the opposite side `of the container, so that all of the materials will simultaneously be moving in batches from opposite side leg portions so as to drive into and through each other and thereby eiiect an improved blending operation in a minimum of time. Furthermore, the blending device4 10 is so arranged that all of the materials passing through the center portion of the container from one side to the other will be alternately split and remixed, rather than only portions thereof.

In the mo-diied container 64 of the blending device 10, as shown in Fig. 4, all of the materials are caused to be alternately driven into and through each other and mixed in one batch and then to be split into two batches, instead of alternately being split into batches as in the container 12 of Fig. 1. In either type of container, (however, the results are similar. It has been j-fovund, that the speed of rotation of the blending device i0 lshould be betweenV 30 to 60 r.p.rn. for best results. A thoroughmixing of the materials may be obtained approximately Within l0 revolutions of the device between the' ,Speed limitsl indicated above.

, The lpresent invention has been described in detail -4 above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A blending apparatus comprising a material container having an .open apex portion and a plurality of hollow side leg portions diverging therefrom, at least one additional side leg portion extending from said apex portion, said additional side leg portion being of approximately constant cross-sectional area and having an internal volume substantially equal to the total internal volume of the plurality of hollow side leg portions and said additional side leg portion extending away from the apex portion in a direction away from said plurality of hollow side leg portions so as to receivefreely Athe contents of the plurality of Ahollow side leg portions during blending, and means for Vmounting said container for rotation about an axis extending in the plane of the axes of at least two of said por-tions.

2. A blending apparatus for masses of material vcomprising a container having a first section having a plurality of compartments converging into an apex portion, a second section joined to the rst section and having at least one compartment extending from the apex portion, said second section being opposite to the irst section so as to receive freely the materials to be mixed from the first section during blending, the total compartmental volume of said second section being at least `approximately equal to the total compartmental volume of said rst section, and means for mounting said con.- tainer for rotation about a transverse axis extending in a plan common to the axes of at least a pair of said compairtments.

3. A mixing apparatus comprising `a generally X- shaped hollow container having a pair of sections of generally V shape and of approximately equal volume, each of said sections having an open apex portion and separate, elongated side portions diverging therefrom, 4said sections being connected at end edges of said open apex portions forming an approximately `co-planar center portion adjacent the joined apex portions in communication with said side portions, closure means for the outer ends of said side portions, means for mounting said container for rotation about an axis extending tranversely in the plane of the axes of said side portions, and means for rotating said container about said transverse axis.

4. An apparatus for `blending masses of material corn.- prising a container having at least three, approximately similar, intersecting and substantially cylindrical hollow elongated portions disposed in diverging directions and having their axes lying substantially in a common plane, at least one of said elongated portions being in opposing relation to the other of said elongated portions so as to be in a position to receive substantially all the ingredients from the other of said elongated portions during blending, means for mounting said container for rotation about a transverse axis lying within said plane, end closure means for said container portions for material loading, and means for rotating said container about said axis.

5, The blending apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said second section has therein only a single compartment extending from the apex portion.

References Cited in the le of this' patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 319,171 Barney .Tune 2, 1885 2,018,082 Muencli et al. Oct. 22, 1935 2,514,126 Fischer July 4, o

FOREIGN PATENTS 

